I've used these all season (skiing, climbing). Here is what I found: It snowed. The pants laughed. The wind howled. They pants laughed. It rained heavy all day. The pants laughed. The rain made puddles on the lift chair and I confidently sat down. The pants laughed. My ski edges attached the legs. The pants laughed. The only way to get water to my body was to drink it. Did I even wear these a whole season? Can't tell by looking at 'em!

Only issue: the snow gaiter could be a little tighter around the ski boot. No big deal.

Here's the dirt: the audio system is great, but the volume wheel is touchy with gloves on, so I replaced their standard audio cable with one that is compatible with my iPhone and has a microphone built in (like the headphones that come with the iPhone) so I can give commands and talk on the phone straight from the audio cable. It was a $5 upgrade and is worth it. The microphone falls right by my mouth when routed properly from the helmet and I never have to dig in my pockets or take off my gloves to talk on the phone. The helmet itself seems to run small. It is a little tight around my ears and can get uncomfortable if your on the snow all day. I do like that I can take out the liner and use this for kayaking and rafting. I would recommend the helmet. It is worth the money.

I've had my nalgene bottle(s) over a decade now and they are still great. I think this pretty much says it all: a trackhoe (Komatsu mid-range unit, weighs about 7000kg, or 16,000 lbs)with steel tracks ran over my bottle on blacktop. I thought it was done, but to my amazement the thing survived intact. That was about 5 years ago. I have to admit: it does have some deep scratches on it from that experience. That night I took it home and shot at it with the bb gun, filled it with rocks and dropped it off the roof onto the concrete drive (it bounced), and did a bunch of other stuff to it. Then I went out and bought a second.

Beverages always taste like aluminum - yuck. Bottles dent easily and lose volume capacity - yuck. Have to mark the bottle or open it to see what's inside - yuck. Not easily compatible with some standard water filtration systems. Forget the "recycled aluminum" this bottle helps the planet line - if they don't make a product worth having then why make it? Go buy two of the standard nalgene bottles for about the price of this one.

I love this carabiner! Light, snappy, and reliable. I read somebody recommended the CAMP USA nano over this? No way! I have them both and this one terrorizes the nano! True, there is not a gate hood, but I use these for ski mountaineering and haven't ever had that problem. I standardized on this biner over some other lightweight wire gates and haven't regretted it. Easy to use with gloves and it fits nicely in the hand.

I had high expectations. Here are my findings: - Does everything it claims, which is dry fast, doesn't stink, wicks moisture, and fits well (athletic fit, similar to Arc'teryx). Thank you Stoic for making a shirt to fit people who are in shape! (shape NOT being round). - The shirt is really itchy. I have to get used to it every time I put the shirt on, and still notice it throughout the day. - When the shirt is soaked with sweat or water it gets difficult to take off. I've hear some stitches tearing while taking mine off (I'm not that rough!). I now handle the shirt with great care as I don't want it to fall apart!

I wear the shirt on a regular basis but am not super excited about it and would probably get a different brand if it wasn't for the awesome price I got this for.

I was a little skeptical at spending this kind of cash at first on socks, but this is what I've found: - They are not too hot for the summer. They breathe well and wick moisture away. Also very good for the winter inside steel toe boots (traditionally very cold on the toes!) - They form a great cushion around your foot from stiffer boots. I have a few pairs and wear them to work with my heavy steel toe boots every day. - They stay in place. For some reason some of my socks twist up. These have never done that. - They don't stink when I take them off at the end of the day. Also, my boots smell better. - They stay where you put them. No pulling your socks up all day. - I can wear these multiple days without washing when I backpack, and they dry out superfast!

I've been trying something new: I'm really cheap and used to buy the cheapest of everything. It would wear out fast and then I'd have to buy more. I've been trying out nice stuff lately and have found that I save more money by purchasing something one time instead of 3 or 4. Awesome!

Let's get down to business (you're reading this because you want a review, not flowery prose).

The gate opening is small. Not very easy to clip onto ropes. The gate action is ok. Vey stiff out of the box, which I like, but still just ok. It is small and light, but so is the mammut Moses wiregate and it has a standard gate opening. Just ok. Does the job for racking but not a favorite.

I've had this headlamp for a little over a year. I've taken it on backpacking trips in NZ, Australia, Appalachian trail, Michigan, New York, and a few other places and have never had problems. The batteries hold out very well. I've used this for a month straight every night and never had to replace batteries on that trip. The string mechanism is great also. It winds up every time, holds to your head perfectly, and can be attached to almost anything with ease. I use it as a headlight for my bicycle. The lamp is also very good. The light pattern is consistent, it illuminates enough for hiking and climbing in the dark, as well as faster paced activities like cycling. I would recommend the extra expense for this light to anyone. You won't be disappointed. It also packs down smaller than my other headlamps. Buy it!

I've had my nalgene bottle(s) over a decade now and they are still great. I think this pretty much says it all: a trackhoe (Komatsu mid-range unit, weighs about 7000kg, or 16,000 lbs)with steel tracks ran over my bottle on blacktop. I thought it was done, but to my amazement the thing survived intact. That was about 5 years ago. I have to admit: it does have some deep scratches on it from that experience. That night I took it home and shot at it with the bb gun, filled it with rocks and dropped it off the roof onto the concrete drive (it bounced), and did a bunch of other stuff to it. Then I went out and bought a second.

Backpacked with these in New Zealand in 1"/hour rain for 6 hours straight. My legs were wet all the way up the zipper line after a couple of hours. The water then ran on the inside of the legs and I was pretty much damp for the day. I wouldn't recommend these for heavy rains. Alternately I wore them on a high alpine trek for light rain/wind resistance and they were fine. Didn't like the extra weight of the zipper - at low altitudes the weather doesn't change that rapidly and you really should have a good idea of precipitation on the way and should have time to stop and suit up. At high altitudes where the weather changes quickly you should probably just be wearing some type of protection to begin with (I normally am backpacking in the late fall to early winter). Really regretted settling for these pants in the long run. If there is one thing that I would always recommend it is this: get what you want because in the backcountry you have to rely on your gear for protection.

Started the season slicing through ice like a slalom ski. Ran through a gs course on these without smearing a single turn and set the course record for the day. Ran waist deep pow on steeps and in glades. Moguls? No problem there either! If only it could go in reverse...

The knife is well thought out. Very lightweight (I use it for backpacking, work, everyday use, carry it on me most places), it has a strong clip that attaches almost anywhere, the blade holds an edge very well (I have a growing collection of quality knifes and this knife seems to keep the edge the longest despite use), and the action is smooth and reliable. (Pretty much as close as you can get to a switchblade and still be federally legal). However, I've had this one for about a month and the blade is starting to spot (rust). It first appeared after backpacking in New Zealand. I use the knife to eat when I backpack so it is cleaned and dried daily. I can't figure out why a quality knife would have rust spots after such loving care! I'm trying to get SOG to warrant it, but they claim rust isn't covered. After a month? Maybe I should've gotten a benchmade...

Sorry, but this doesn't cut it for me. It is hard to drink from (I don't carry an extra cup). I don't know about heat exchange because I just put some water in it to try the functionality when I first got it. It would be better if the removable cap allowed me to drink from the bottle; however, the extra lid is just for some storage space and pressure relief. It does a good job of not leaking, so I guess that is where the two stars come from.

I got these earlier in the season and have since worn them in temperatures ranging from 0'F to 32'F. As a disclaimer I have to say that I have Rainods syndrome (and can't spell). That means the capillaries at my extremities constrict when it is cold and so I perpetually have cold hands and cold feet. In the single digits with wind they do not keep my hands warm. Above 10 degrees my hands weren't cold but I can't say they were particularly warm - for me that is completely acceptable. Anything above 20 and my hands are almost too warm. The liners are a great value. They can be worn as a glove by themselves as they have a leather palm. It is kind of hard to get your hand into the liner because the elastic cuff is tight; however, this also means that when you take the monstrous hardshell off you still have a softshell glove on your hand (always comes out when you take the shell off) that is nimble enough to use your cell phone, mess with ipod, and a number of other things. I didn't find the shell to be overly bulky like some people did, but I'm used to a heavy hardshell glove. I've never had a thin glove that can keep my hands warm.

End result: If Marmot hadn't given me such a good deal on them (turned in an old pair for 1/2 off) I would've bought the Hestra 3 Finger Military Gore-Tex glove.